Belt buckle



H. GANZ BELT BUCKLE Feb. 2, 1954 Filed March 23, 1951 INVENTOR. HIE/6) 64N? Patented Feb. 2, 1954 BELT BUCKLE" Harry Ganz, New York,

Brand Products, Inc., poration of New- York N. .Newi York, NI Y., a cor-y Y., assignmrto-'Bac-A- ApplicationMarch 23, 1951,.Serial No. 217,132

(Cl.l 24F-4769* 7 Claims'. l

The present invention is directed to belt buckles, more particularly to a buckle made of a single piece of material, suche as molded plastic, metal or the like.

Belt` buckles of various types have long beenin use, some of themv consisting of vanumber of parts which may be relatively movable. Such; buckles are relatively expensivev andas a result other constructions have been devisedv Which'are simpler and which are capable of accomplishing; t ie desired result of holding a belt. However, in' such constructions as previously known, one endiof the belt was threaded through the buckle and? stitched or riveted or otherwise fastened' permanently to the buckle. While such a construction gave a satisfactory result, it hadi the disadvantage that additional labor was necessary inv order' to secure the end. of the belt in position. Because the attachmentv was permanent, one couldf not conveniently' remove the belt and replaceit with another belt.

The present invention is intended' and' adapted to overcome the diiculties and disadvantagesinherent in devices of the type described, it being among the objects' of the present invention' toprovide a belt buckle which is' unitary inY con-- struction and simple to manufacture;

It is also among the objects ot thev present'inw vention to provide a belt buckle in which' the endoi a belt may be fastened so asto be securely held in placev during normal use thereof without the necessity of applying any securing mea-ns thereto.

It is further among, the objects of the present invention to provide abelt buckle whichv may be made of a suitable molded.` plastic material in a single operation' without the necessity of provid-Y ing complicated or expensive molds.

In practicing the present. invention the belt buckle consists of a plate usually rectangular in shape and; having a rectangular central openingtherein. A bridge piece extends, transversely ot the opening soa-s to divide. it into approximately equal spaces, the bridge piece being integral with the plate. On the rear face of the plate in the area of the bridge piece, a pair of transverse bars which are substantially parallel to each other'are' fixed'. The bars are adjacent to' the laterall edges of the bridge piece and at least one`of` the' bars has a set of teeth or corrugations on the face' thereof adjacent" to the bridge piece; Preferably the buckle is molded in a single operation froma plastic substance'. By this construction the end of abelt maybe threaded under one of thebars, and over the' otherbar'whereby'it-isretained-1nbest sliwn in Fig. 4.

vention;v

Fig. 2? i'sl a longitudinal sectional view taken along line 2'2 ofFig. 1;;

Fig. 3 isa rear elevational view of the 'buckle detached-l fromv the belt Fig: 4' is ailongitudin'al crosssectiona1 view of the buckleltaken along line ll-Jl of Fig. 3';

Fig. 5 i's a transverseA cross-sectional View thereof taken along line 5-5 of Fig. Il;

Fig'. 6 is a view similarito Fig. l, showing.A a Inodiedform of the invention;

Fig'. 7:' is:a1p'erspective` View of a modified form, andv Figliy 8 isl a# cross-secton of the upper part in Fig'. 7J,- taken along line 3-8 of' Fig. 7.

The belt buckle in its preferred form' consists of avpla'te.or'frameiha'ving a pai-r of longitudinal membersi l; and. and. a. pairof transverse members andlifo'rming a rectangle having a. hollow portion or opening in the center. A transverse bridgepieceB?connects the central/parts of members'r Ii and 2f, dividing the openingA into` substantially equal. parts 6 and 7. Extending inwardly from; member-:4 intospa'cel is tongue 8 which is adapted to' feed. into holesin a belt for adjusting' the same. on the wearer.

AsV show-nin Figs; 41 and` 5, a transverse bar 9 is attached atits` ends: to legs lll and' I3 secured totheplata adjacent toene; of theedges of bridge piece 5' and spaced downwardly therefrom, as shownin Fig44 5-. A. second bar Il parallelto bar. 9. hascorrugations-or teeth t2 on.. the. inner. face thereof. Legs IU andV I3 are attached to the ends thereof.. In the form` shown in Figs..1-5v each. of the end`v legs Il) and' I3 is inthe' form of a wall, as BarA H is secured adjacent to the oppositeY edge of bridge piece 5 and ina preferred form of the buckle, is slightly lower their bang' as shown in Fig. 4'.

A` belt I4: is'. threaded" above bar 9, as viewed in Fig, 2; and" is' loopedx around bar il at l5' and threaded above bar 9, leaving a short end' IS extending therefrom. As tension is appliedfto belt i4, itfor'ce'siendl |51' against teeth l2, holdingv the44 belt? rmlyf inI position under` all condiendv lfl of! the belt' v has a series of holes I8 and it is threaded through space 1, with tongue 8 passing through one of the holes I8. The extreme end of the belt is extended under member 3 of the plate so as to hold it in position, all as shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 6 there has been shown a modication which is adapted for molding in a single operation. The buckle is provided with a transverse bar i9 having legs 2b terminating in members I and 2 of the plate. In this modification the end legs are not combined into a single wall. Bar I9 is parallel to the adjacent edge of bridge piece' 5 so that a transverse plane at said adjacent edge will have bar I9 on one side and bridge piece on the other side thereof. Similarly bar 2| having teeth 22 on the inner face thereof is held by legs 23 to members I and 2 of the plate. Bars I9 and 2l are substantially parallel to each other, and a transverse plane on the left,

hand edge of bridge piece left thereof.

By such an arrangement the operation of the device is as effective as in the modification of Figs. l to 5. In molding the buckle in a single operation, the upper and lower parts of the mold may meet and define the entire area of the buckle without the necessity of having inserts, cores or other elements in the mold, which would render the mold expensive. The use of such a simple mold has the added advantage that the molding operation is speeded up, thus reducing labor costs. Because of the arrangement, bars I9 and 2l may be placed somewhat closer to bridge piece 5 than the bars shown in Fig. 4, while allowing ready threading of the belt thereon. Because of such closeness, there is a certainty that the belt when in position will be held securely.

In the modication shown in Figs. '7 and 8, the frame of the buckle is made in two parts. There is a base 2d having up-turned sides forming grooves 25 and which constitutes the front portion of a fabric covered buckle. The rear portion has the longitudinal sides AI and Q2 and ends 43 and ed, with depending sides Z5 which fit into grooves 25. In completing the buckle, fabric is placed around member 2d and the upper member is forced into the same and crimped in place to hold the fabric.

A pair of bars 2l are formed integrally with the upper member, said bars being substantially parallel with bridge piece d'5 and being spaced a substantial distance therefrom. The faces of bars 21 are raised above the general level of said upper member and usually about Tlc. The sides 28 of bars 2'! are formed so as to have corrugations therein. A belt may be threaded through said upper member, which is the backl of the completed buckle, in the usual manner, whereby the corrugations hold the end of the belt firmly in position but permit adjustment thereof to any desired length.

Various changes in the details of construction of the new belt buckle may be made' withinthe spirit of the invention. For instance, buckles of various sizes and shapes may be provided with the novel features deseribedand claimed herein. Tongue 3 may be omitted in 'some forms of buckles. The height of the parallel. bars may be changed and any type of serrations, corrugations or teeth may be provided.

These and other changes may be made inthe details of the invention without vdeparting from the. principles herein Set. ferthand;,tbeelainlsaa 5 has bar 2l to the Y by the end of a belt may be therefore, to be broadly construed in accordance with the present invention.

I claim:

l. A one-piece molded plastic belt buckle for use with a thin belt comprising a plate having a central opening therein, a transverse bridgepiece integral with said plate dividing said opening into two parts, a stationary tongue projecting from one end of said buckle inwardly toward the bridge piece, iirst and second substantially parallel bars attached to the rear face of said bridgepiece and spaced therefrom, said bars being at the lateral edges of said piece, and serrations on the face of the second of said bars adjacent to said piece, whereby the end of a belt may be threaded over said first bar and around the other bar and then over the first bar to retain said belt on said buckle without the necessity of stitching said end of said belt.

2. A one-piece molded plastic belt buckle for use with a thin belt comprising a plate having a central opening therein, a transverse bridgepiece integral with said plate dividing said opening into two parts, first and second substantially parallel bars attached to the rear face of said bridge-piece and spaced therefrom, said bars being at the lateral edges of said piece, and serrations on the face of the second of said bars adjacent to said piece, said second bar being spaced from said piece a greater distance than the other bar, whereby the end of a belt may be threaded over said first bar and around the other bar and then over the first bar to retain said belt on said buckle without the necessity of stitching said end of said belt. g

3. A one-piece molded plastic belt buckle for use with a thin belt comprising a plate having a central opening therein, a transverse bridgepiece integral with said plate dividing said opening into two parts, a Stationary tongue projecting from one end of said buckle inwardly toward the bridge piece, first and second substantially parallel bars attached to the rear face of said bridge-piece and spaced therefrom, the points of attachment being at the junctions of said piece and said plate, said bars being at the lateral edges of said piece, and serrations on the face of the second of said bars adjacent to said piece, wherethreaded over said i'lrst bar and around the other bar and then over the i'lrst bar to retain said belt on said buckle witihout the necessity of stitching said end of said bel 4. A one-piece molded plastic belt buckle for use ,with a thin belt comprising a plate having a central opening therein, a transverse bridgepiece integral with said plate dividing said opening into two parts, rst and second substantially parallel bars attached to the rear face of said bridge-piece and spaced therefrom, said bars being at the lateral edges of said piece, and serrations on the face of the second of said bars adjacent to said piece, said bars extending laterally beyond the lateral edges of said piece, whereby the end of a belt may be Vthreaded over said first bar and around the other bar and then over the first bar to retain said belt on said buckle without the Vnecessity of stitching said end of said belt.

5. A one-piece molded plastic belt buckle for use with a thin belt comprising a plate having a central opening therein, a transverse bridgepiece integral with said plate dividing said openinginto two parts, a stationary tongue projecting from one end of said buckle inwardly toward the bridge piece, rst and second substantially parallel bars attached to the rear face of said bridge-piece and spaced therefrom, said bars being at the lateral edges of said piece, and serrations on the face of the second of said bars adjacent to said piece, said plate having a convex curvature, said bars being contained within the space defined by said plate and the plane between the ends of said plate at the rear thereof, whereby the end of a belt may be threaded over said first bar and around the other bar and then over the other bar to retain said belt on said buckle without the necessity of stitching said end of said belt.

6. A one-piece molded plastic belt buckle for use with a thin belt comprising a plate having a central opening therein, a transverse bridgepiece integral with said plate dividing said opening into tWo parts, rst and second substantially parallel bars attached to the rear face of said plate on opposite sides of said bridge-piece and spaced therefrom, said bars being at the lateral edges of said piece, and serrations on the face of the second of said bars adjacent to said piece, whereby the end of a belt may be threaded over said rst bar and around the other bar and then over the rst bar to retain said belt on said buckle without the necessity of stitching said end of said belt.

7. A one-piece molded plastic belt buckle for use with a. thin belt comprising a plate having a central opening therein, a transverse bridgepiece integral with said plate dividing said opening into two parts, a stationary tongue projecting from one end of said buckle inwardly toward the bridge piece, rst and second substantially parallel bars attached to the rear face of said plate on opposite sides of said bridge-piece and spaced therefrom, said bars being at the lateral edges of said piece, and serrations on the second of said bars adjacent to said piece, whereby the end of a belt may be threaded over said rst bar and around the other bar and then over the rst bar to retain said belt on said buckle without the necessity of stitching said end of said belt, said serrations being corrugations in the side of said bar.

HARRY GANZ.

References Cited in the file 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 71,116 Andrews Nov. 19, 1867 222,865 Carnes, Sr Dec. 23, 1879 309,051 Hisley Dec. 9, 1884 740,928 Sanders Oct. 6, 1903 1,995,713 Lerman Mar. 26, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 276,266 Germany July 8, 1914 227,648 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1943 

